Immigration Reform

Immigration is good for the economy and good for our country.  Anti-immigrant sentiment is toxic and fundamentally un-American.

The Conservative Case For Immigration

Immigration is net positive for the economy.  Immigration is associated with overall increases in GDP and higher standards of living.   Even the conservative Heritage Foundation agrees:

“Whether low-skilled or high-skilled, immigrants boost national output, enhance specialization and provide a net economic benefit.”

In Nebraska, newly arrived immigrants have become an important component to our economic success in recent years.  Immigrants accounted for just 1.8 percent of the states’ population in 1990.  Now, just twenty-four years later, the population had swelled by 6 percent or 11,000 people in the state by 2014.  Because of the influx of immigrants into the state, Nebraska avoided decreases in population seen in many states in the Midwest. Today 120,000 foreign born citizens reside in our state and help buttress the economy in the state.  New young immigrants also buttress the social security system and provide workers for employers needing new personnel.

Immigrants are innovators.  55% Of America's Billion-Dollar Startups Have An Immigrant Founder.  Immigrants are also more likely to be entrepreneurs than the general population.

Republicans Today on Immigration

The xenophobic tendencies of the Republican Party today are dangerous.  Immigrants have been used as a galvanizing common enemy to pull in votes.  The Republican Party spreads the myth that “immigrants hurt our economy and take away jobs from native born citizens” but this is untrue.  

Immigrants have little to NO effect on the wages and employment of native-born workers.  There are NOT a finite number of jobs. When immigrants come they also increase demand for housing and other goods and services which creates employment opportunities for all workers.  

My Op-eds about Immigrant Rights

DREAM Act best for Nebraska (June 13, 2018)
Passing driver’s license bill makes sense for Nebraska (April 12, 2015)